


my heart beats (for you)

by alateni



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Happy ending though, M/M, a little bit of blood/gore?, but if you're seriously bothered by that kind of thing just skip over it, cyborg!Mingyu, fancy mecha stuff, happy birthday mingyu, honestly not a lot, i can't write angst for my life, it's only a little bit honestly it's not even enough to be tagged but i just want to make sure, mecha!au, mechanic!Minghao, this was supposed to be fluffy and fun but it took a dip into angst, what's new lol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-06
Updated: 2017-04-06
Packaged: 2018-10-15 08:28:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10553234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alateni/pseuds/alateni
Summary: It takes a certain amount of skill, Minghao thinks, to be as clumsy as Kim Mingyu. Then again, Mingyu ponders, it takes a certain amount of skill to deal with Xu Minghao.Alternatively: Minghao, a mechanic, has to deal with his clumsy boyfriend, Mingyu, who just so happens to be part robot - meaning he uses a lot more time and effort fixing him up then he'd like (or so he says).





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is my 18th Seventeen fanfic. And it's just in time for Mingyu's birthday. Kind of fitting I guess?
> 
> Also the title is so cringe worthy I want to throw myself off a building- But it fits (maybe?) and I can't think of anything better.

“ _Again_?” Minghao practically shouts when he walks into the room after his lunch break. He groans as one of his assistants shove a pile of papers and folders into his hand before escaping the room, eyes switching from a now grumpy Minghao and the cyborg sitting on the table. The cyborg is entirely still, eyes facing forwards, away from Minghao, but a twitch of his mouth informs Minghao that his hearing wasn’t damaged.

“So,” Minghao drawls, flipping through the papers he was just given, “what is it this time?” Stopping so he was standing directly in front of the other, Minghao throws the files onto the table and places his hands on his hips. He had fixed this particular individual so many times now that his entire medical history was imprinted into his brain. “Did you fall heroically off a bridge to save an old woman? Did a bomb go off in the middle of a mission so you protected the target with your body? Did you go into battle and single handily defeat an entire battalion?”

“No,” the human speaks for the first time, voice low in a mutter. He brings his eyes up to gaze at Minghao directly, and a certain fondness in them causes Minghao to drop his hands to his sides. “I fell down the stairs.”

“Kim Mingyu I am 100% done with you get out of my shop before I break you,” Minghao cries, bringing his hands to his face. He rubs his tired eyes with them, having been up since 5 AM fixing various robots, drones, and cyborgs. Minghao can’t really complain though, this _was_ his job.

Though he had started out studying as an engineer, Minghao had found himself in a need of a job fast when a pile of family issues revealed themselves. His mom decided, after being married for almost 22 years, that she wanted to be alone, so his parents separated. There was no real drama about it – though Minghao’s aunt would say otherwise – and Minghao is still in contact with his mom. His dad fared pretty well with the news, never having been a very emotionally attached man in general, but soon escaped into himself and barely paid attention to Minghao. Minghao didn’t particular care though, considering he was turning 20 this year and was very much independent, but at the time (which had been maybe a year or so ago) the boy was just entering university.

“Minghao,” Mingyu whines. “I don’t know what happened when I fell down those stairs but I’m all messed up.”

“If you were really messed up you’d have gone to a real doctor,” Minghao rolls his eyes before grabbing the files and flipping to his next assignment. “Now get lost I have to start repairing these weird drones.”

“Hao,” Mingyu gets off the table, following Minghao around his workshop as the shorter boy sorts through the various spare parts and pieces scattered around. Twirling around, Minghao thrusts the stack of folders into Mingyu’s hands before reaching down into the tool belt around his waist and rummaging through it.

“Go see a doctor if you’re sick Mingyu,” Minghao says as he distractedly fishes a small remote control out. “You’re still technically mostly human. You don’t need me to fix you – come back with a robot and maybe I can help you out.”

“Minghao my _heart_ isn’t working,” Mingyu says, causing Minghao to stop moving and look up at him. “I don’t know why but it’s starting to affect the other robotic parts of me too.”

“What are you talking about?” Minghao comes closer, setting the remote control on the work table as he leans in closer. Flustered by the sudden proximity, Mingyu leans back, only to have Minghao kiss his teeth in annoyance. Stiffening at the sound of disappointment, Minghao manages to catch Mingyu’s face in between his hands as the mechanic examines Mingyu’s eyes. “Is your vision okay?”

“Y-yeah,” Mingyu resists the urge to cough, seeing as Minghao was practically inhaling his breath. “It’s just I get hot flashes sometimes and my chest feels too tight.”

“That sounds like you’re going through puberty,” Minghao jokes before settling back on his heels. “Fine, go sit on the table but if I find out you’re wasting my time I’m kicking your ass.”

“Yes sir,” Mingyu says happily, pointedly ignoring the violent promise. Settling back down on the table he had been sitting on before, Mingyu places the papers he was holding down beside him _gently_ and straightens them out as Minghao whirls around the place, grabbing tools and other things from underneath piles and between parts.

Minghao’s workshop, Mingyu thinks, is very much like the other human’s mind. It was chaotically messy, it didn’t seem to have any order to it, yet it worked. There were stains on almost every surface, even the one Mingyu was sitting on, and most of them had been there since Minghao got the place. In addition to that, Minghao had the machines and devices he was to fix mixed in with his own personal little projects. Yet Minghao always knew where everything was. He could find exactly what he was looking for within minutes, seconds even, and Mingyu was always shocked silent watching Minghao work.

It wasn’t something he was allowed to do often, being a firefighter and all, but whenever he had spare time, Mingyu would come on over to Minghao’s shop and just sit beside the other male, watching as his nimble and flexible fingers tore machines apart only to mold them back together again, better than before. Minghao would always complain whenever Mingyu came around, saying that it was harder to concentrate because he was there, but Mingyu always ended up staying. It got to the point where Mingyu didn’t even have to ask to see one Xu Minghao. Instead, all of Minghao’s assistants (and even some of his customers) recognized Mingyu and let him in behind them.

“So,” Minghao says, eyebrows furrowing as he examines Mingyu’s outer appearance. “Enlighten me again about which parts of you are skin and tissue and which ones are metal and wire?”

“Well, everything below the belt is flesh,” Mingyu winks, causing Minghao to stare at him in annoyance. “But you already knew that,” Mingyu continues, relishing in the way Minghao coughs in surprise. The cyborg examines how Minghao’s ears slowly begin to redden at the comment before deciding to let the mechanic live. “It’s mostly my heart,” Minghao frowns at that, rubbing his hands together. “Listen, you don’t like talking about it, but it’s there, you can’t change that Hao,” Mingyu pauses in his explanation as Minghao’s scowl deepens.

“Maybe I could have,” Minghao replies, but is silenced by a kiss without another word. Resisting Mingyu’s affections, Minghao tries to push the other away only to feel Mingyu’s left hand circle around his waist, pulling him closer. Cursing the enhanced machinery that made Mingyu’s left arm superhuman, Minghao finds no other option than to melt into the kiss – though to be honest, he wasn’t trying very hard.

“We’re not having this discussion,” Mingyu whispers against Minghao’s lips as they break apart. “Alright?” Mingyu confirms, and only after Minghao nods does he lean back.

“Anyways,” Mingyu continues after Minghao punches him softly and regains his composure with a muttered ‘don’t kiss me while I’m at work you moron’. “My heart and part of my left arm is machinery, and I think some of my vision and hearing has been enhanced too?”

“What do you mean, you _think_?” Minghao narrows his eyes. “I wasn’t told about this. I thought I was supposed to know before any other modifications were put on you.”

“Yes, yes,” Mingyu grins at Minghao’s protectiveness. “My genius mechanic boyfriend must always be in the room if I am to get any more robot parts added into my body so he can see if someone’s trying to rip me off or not – it’s in the contract.”

“Shut up,” Minghao growls, and Mingyu raises his hands up as a peace offering.

“No, but they put it in after my last uh, accident,” Mingyu winces as Minghao’s fist tightens at the memory. The slender boy had been out of the country then, off to visit one of his old professors, when Mingyu was severely injured.

The cyborg had been off duty at the time, but when he heard someone screaming, Mingyu did what he was always know to do – run in without thinking. Turns out the whole thing was a set up, in hopes that some police officer or something would come along, and Mingyu was accidentally caught in an explosion. The perpetrator, some kind of protestor against the government, turned himself in when he found out Mingyu was injured, and surrendered all of his other firepower at the time of the arrest. Mingyu on the other hand, had escaped the explosion with minor burns, having only just got to the scene before the bomb itself malfunctioned and exploded prematurely, but the sound shockwave that resulted from the explosion damaged Mingyu’s hearing and vision permanently. Though his limbs and skin repaired themselves after some time, Mingyu was left with damaged ears and pain whenever he stepped into a bright location.

“I think they added it in while I was still recovering,” Mingyu comments. “I know because the captain back at the station always makes me report to the on-site mechanic after every mission to check up on it – since it’s fresh and all. I think it should be stated in the files somewhere?”

“I hate reading these things,” Minghao complains but reaches over nonetheless. If there was one thing he prioritized beyond all the other things in his life that he loved (or hated to do), it was Mingyu’s well being. “They’re always so confusing and long winded, just tell me what I need to know dammit.”

“You say that,” Mingyu laughs behind his hand as Minghao shoots him a glare. “But you have to write the exact same reports – isn’t that hypocritical?”

“Listen, you tell people to be careful and stay safe and then run into a burning building – don’t lecture me about being hypocritical,” Minghao shoots back, tapping on the page when he finds the passage regarding Mingyu’s modifications. Mingyu sniffs at the comment, giggling slightly when Minghao shoots him another annoyed look, before quieting down when he realizes Minghao was deep in thought.

Looking at the files, Minghao reads through them quickly, being used to having to scan through pages and pages of text in order to pick out the most important details – all within minutes as well. His job wasn’t the best paying, nor was it the most comfortable, but it fit well with Minghao’s personality. Even if he had been given enough time to carefully read through the reports and conditions of the androids he was fixing, the slender male would probably forgo the instructions entirely and just go based off feel. But Mingyu was important, though Minghao would never admit that out loud unless he really had to, so Minghao put it in a little more effort.

It seems like, according to the reports, Mingyu had suffered damage to the sensory nerves in his eyes as well as damaging his eardrums. As such, the doctors (or mechanics, Minghao still wasn’t sure what to call people who worked on half-humans, half-robots) had implanted various parts around Mingyu’s eyes. Apparently, Minghao notes, Mingyu’s damaged orbs had trouble adjusting to light, and would be unable to dilate properly – leading to either too much or too little allowance of light, which would probably go on to injure his eyes even more (Minghao skips over this part, it’s filled with long medical terms and definitions – he’s just the mechanic, not the surgeon). As well, Mingyu’s eardrums had been entirely replaced with a mechanical version, one of the top of the game actually. Minghao’s eyebrows rise when he reads that, looking up from the paper to Mingyu’s ears curiously, before humming in appreciation.

“Well, at least they cared enough to get you good stuff,” Minghao concludes, dropping the papers back onto the desk, causing Mingyu to flinch at the sound. The mechanic approaches the other male, who shifts slightly in his spot on the table, before relaxing when Minghao grabs onto Mingyu’s face. He cups the male’s jaw, applying even pressure from both hands, before tilting Mingyu’s head from one side to another. Dropping his hands from the other’s face, Minghao motions for Mingyu to turn to the side, before leaning forwards to peer into Mingyu’s ear. The Chinese male takes out a small device, a cross between a monocle and a pair of binoculars, and puts it on – the device resembling something like a headset.

Tapping on the side of the machine, a soft _whirr_ is heard before the monocle clicks into place onto Minghao’s right eye and the mechanic can observe the inner workings of the machinery that was now Mingyu’s ear. Examining the device carefully, Minghao mutters to himself, mostly complaints with a few compliments here and there, before he straightens up and the monocle immediately snaps back behind his ear – letting Minghao see properly.

“So, what’s the problem doc?” Mingyu asks mischievously, ignoring the pointed look on Minghao’s face that translated into something along the lines of ‘I’m not a doctor you asshole’.

“You probably fell on your head you idiot,” Minghao starts. “You jumbled some of the wiring inside – nothing major but things are just not properly in place, kind of like a lid that’s not completely screwed on right,” Minghao explains when Mingyu looks at him blankly. “And about your eyes, they seems fine, I think it’s mostly your ears fucking with you – seeing as they contribute a lot to your balance and stuff.”

“What about my heart? And the hot flashes?” Mingyu ventures when Minghao reaches into his toolbelt to grab some of the things he would need to fix Mingyu’s ears.

“Depends on if you want to be drugged or not,” Minghao says nonchalantly, though Mingyu can see the other boy clenching his jaw. Minghao never likes to talk about Mingyu’s robotic heart, mostly because he blamed himself for the whole event, yet Mingyu knew that though Minghao acted like it didn’t exist, he knew the mechanics of the device in and out. It was almost like keeping tabs on a person you say you don’t care about.

“Do you have the anesthetic on you?” Mingyu questions, knowing very well what Minghao’s answer would be. The boy never kept things like that on him, mostly because he didn’t particularly like working on cyborgs, not after what happened to Mingyu. As such, he was never in stock with things that could help in treating humans, allowing him to turn cyborgs away. It was a pretty clever defense mechanism for sure, and Mingyu knew the Chinese mechanic liked working on drones and inventing things better anyways, but Mingyu didn’t quite agree with Minghao’s morals.

“No,” Minghao replies, just as Mingyu had expected. “If you want me to work on you, you’ll have to wait until I order it. But if it’s bothering you that much maybe you should go somewhere else.” At that, Minghao turns around, shoulders tense and fists clenched. It confused Mingyu sometimes, how Minghao was always so protective of him and his robotic heart, yet refused to work or upkeep it. Mingyu, though all of his other injuries and maintenance was treated by Minghao, still had to go to a different mechanic if he wanted to get his heart checked. Actually, scratch that, Mingyu knew _exactly_ why Minghao was always so tense around his heart. And the thought of Minghao constantly thinking about what had happened causes Mingyu to frown.

“Hey,” Mingyu calls softly, as if he was coaxing an injured, wild animal. And honestly, that’s kind of what Minghao was – minus the injured part. The mechanic was always the more unpredictable one out of the two, while Mingyu had his own set of morals and followed them almost religiously (he became a firefighter for a reason – he wanted to save lives and without being responsible for potentially taking one), Minghao was a little more chaotic. The boy had his own set of rules, of course, it’s not like Minghao walked around killing people. But Minghao just didn’t empathise as much with others, he would see someone fall and just walk past – rather than stop and help like Mingyu would.

He cared, of course he did, but only for those that he loved. If any of Minghao’s friends or loved ones got hurt, Minghao would be there. Whether that be to defend them, chase after the perpetrator, or just hold them and comfort them, you could always count on Minghao to show up practically minutes after the situation went down. With strangers however, Minghao was a cold, closed off individual. He was a bit more corrupted you could say, and Mingyu always found that Minghao tended to sympathise with the villains more than the heroes in movies and stories. The shorter male had, on many occasions, watched a crime happen and do nothing but bat an eyelash. Thievery, Minghao would tell Mingyu when the taller male began to lecture him again about his ‘duty as a citizen’, was not a crime – at least not when it’s justified. Whose to say the starving man who stole a load of bread was wrong in his actions? That was pretty much Minghao’s logic in any kind of situation, and while Mingyu didn’t entirely agree with it, he accepted it. After all, that just meant Mingyu had to keep an eye on Minghao to make sure the other boy didn’t do anything _too_ illegal – not like he wasn’t doing that already.

“You can just do it without the anesthetic, my pain threshold is a lot higher than normal humans anyways,” Mingyu says, reaching up to run his fingers through Minghao’s fringe, knowing that it always helped to calm and destress the other. Minghao flinches at Mingyu’s words though, and Mingyu can’t hold back the sigh this time around. “Look,” Mingyu starts, voice harsher than it was before. Minghao tenses at the sound, but turns around to look at Mingyu expectantly nonetheless.

“My heart,” Mingyu continues, ignoring the slight pull in Minghao’s arms – the other boy was obviously planning an escape with how wildly his eyes were moving, but Mingyu wasn’t going to let that happen. Snaking his left hand around Minghao’s waist, the cyborg picks the human up easily – mechanical arm designed to be able to move hundreds of pounds. Minghao squeals a little at the motion, before flushing in embarrassment at the sound. He doesn’t say anything after that, even when Mingyu scoots back and places Minghao on his lap so they’re both sitting on the table.

“My heart is made of metal and wires and whatever else you put in there,” Mingyu continues. “And it’s not your fault it’s faulty, it’s not even that bad, honestly. It hurts yeah, but it ended up helping me, look at me now Hao! I can lift so much, I’m way stronger than I was before, my pain tolerance is much higher than normal, I can do so much, achieve everything I wanted, and it’s all thanks to _you_.”

“ _No_ ,” Minghao wails, shutting his eyes closed tightly and shaking his head from side to side. His hands curl into fists and beat at Mingyu’s chest – though the cyborg finds no pain from Minghao’s hits. “It was _all_ my fault, I wasn’t _good_ enough!” Minghao finally cries, blinking away tears as he stops punching Mingyu and instead, places his hands almost delicately on top of Mingyu’s heart. “I’m sorry,” Minghao whispers. He leans in, until his mouth was practically pressed against Mingyu’s shirt, and says the words again, as if the machine imitating Mingyu’s heart could hear him and reply.

It had happened back when Minghao was still in university – before he had dropped out and become a mechanic’s apprentice. Minghao and Mingyu had been friends even back then, though Mingyu was in the firefighting program at the local college while Minghao attended university a couple of towns over. They hadn’t started dating then, though their friends had been very much done with their silent, mutual pining. Nonetheless, the two had been as close as they were now, and when Minghao came home one summer for vacation before his placement, Mingyu had been ecstatic. They spent all their time with each other, seeing as how Minghao’s parents were beginning to isolate themselves from each other and Mingyu’s family lived in a different city, and it almost seemed as if they would finally – to the happiness of their peers – be able to _really_ start dating.

But things never happen the way they’re supposed to, and this was no exception. It had been stupid, looking back on it, for them to go into the forest late at night, but Minghao had perfected one of the inventions he had been working on, and there was supposed to be a meteor shower that night. Perfectly romantic, as Mingyu had put it, and so the two snuck out of their respective houses and joined together, planning on spending a night under the stars. And it started out as such, with the weather being perfectly warm, not too cool but not quite hot enough to sweat in. Minghao had brought a blanket – though Mingyu had forgotten his – and they shared it, pressed close to each other as Minghao described the various constellations in the sky.

The meteor shower had not started yet, but a loud noise caught both of their attentions. Sitting up, Mingyu had leaned towards the sound, hearing another resounding _bang_. Without another word, Mingyu stood up and started off towards the noise, mind still foolishly set on becoming a hero and saving others. Minghao trailed behind awkwardly, not sure if he should stop Mingyu or go and get help. Eventually, the two encountered the source of the noise – a baby doe had tripped and broke her leg, and was trying to get up. The animal must have been terrified of the two of them, yet Mingyu bravely went forwards, coaxing the doe into staying quiet as Mingyu freed her of the branches which clawed at her coat. Her leg was still broken, and they couldn’t do anything about it, but hopefully, she would be able to find her way back to her mother and heal naturally.

Just as they were about to leave however, the mother deer appeared. Looking back, Minghao should have expected it. A baby animal – even a human – never goes anywhere alone, and this was no exception. The mother had finally caught up to her baby, and seeing the fawn injured – with an unidentified stranger next to her, the doe did only what her instincts trained her to do. Charging forwards, Mingyu had tried to dodge the attack, but the doe was too fast, she caught Mingyu by his shoulder and sent him flying back. Minghao screamed, he’s thinks, at that point, attracting the attention of the doe and fawn as well. The doe must have sensed his own fear, as the grand animal looked between Mingyu’s slumped form and Minghao’s shocked face, before coaxing her baby along. The fawn skipped away – though a bit awkwardly – along with her mom, and Minghao ran immediately to Mingyu’s side.

The other boy was bleeding heavily, and when Minghao helped him sit up, the Chinese male observed with horror that Mingyu had been partially impaled by a branch. Though the injury didn’t seem to be that bad (as it wasn’t stuck in him nor was he gushing blood), Minghao began to panic. Mingyu seemed to be in a state of shock, gasping for air and all, and it wasn’t until Minghao noticed that Mingyu seemed to be having trouble breathing did things really turn worse. Crouching near the choking boy, Minghao realized, with a shock, that Mingyu was going unconscious. Whether it was due to blood loss or something else, Minghao was rapidly losing Mingyu.

Forcing himself to calm down, Minghao finally remembered the reason they had come out in the first place. Taking the machine out of his pocket, the Chinese boy looked at it for a brief moment before deciding that yes, Mingyu’s life was more important than a little machine. Breaking it apart with the tools Minghao always carried around with him, Minghao soon fashioned a primitive AED machine. Hooking it up awkwardly to Mingyu’s body (Minghao wasn’t a doctor, heck he hadn’t even been a mechanic at the time), Minghao quickly programmed the device to act as an AED, shooting electric impulses through the body every so often as to keep the heart stimulated.

Racing away from the scene and praying to whatever being happened to be listening, Minghao had ran back to the streets and quickly arranged for an ambulance. Soon enough, they loaded Mingyu into the car and sped off to the hospital. Once there however, the news broke that Mingyu’s left shoulder – the one that had been hit by the deer – was severely damaged, including nerve damage. It was highly unlikely, the doctors said, that Mingyu would be able to use his left arm without use of machinery. In addition, it looked like his heart was faulty too. It didn’t make sense, Minghao thought at first, as to why his heart had an injury. It hadn’t been pierced or hit in any way, but once Minghao found out – from Mingyu’s younger sister – he had been devastated.

Mingyu hadn’t wanted to tell him, Minghao knew he was trying to protect him, but Minghao couldn’t help but feel betrayed. In the end, though Minghao’s makeshift AED had given the first responders enough time to make it to Mingyu, it hadn’t been refined enough. The AED sent out sporadic signals, causing the heart to fail almost entirely once it was removed. As such, Mingyu’s heart was unable to function without the external impulses – meaning he had to get an entirely machine-made one. And it had all been Minghao’s fault, because the foolish boy hadn’t been skilled enough to make a proper machine. It was Minghao’s fault they went out that night, they could have just tested the stupid machine another day – preferable not at night and in the forest – yet Minghao had been adamant. It was Minghao’s fault that Mingyu had gotten injured – especially so since Minghao hadn’t even moved to help him with the doe appeared – and not only that, Minghao had hindered his recovery and made his injuries _worse_.

So yes, Mingyu was still alive, with a mechanical heart and arm – and now _eyes and ears_ – but things could’ve been better. If Minghao had been smarter, more skillful, more responsible – more _anything_ , maybe this all wouldn’t have happened. Maybe Mingyu wouldn’t have to deal with premature arthritis, with heavy mechanical costs from the maintenance costs, with having people stare at him weirdly because even if his left hand looked normal, people always seemed to _know_. Mingyu said it didn’t bother him, but Minghao knew. The taller boy was so friendly, yet now he had to deal with people eyeing him weirdly because he wasn’t ‘human’ and it was all Minghao’s fault.

“Hey,” Mingyu calls again, much like had that night when the fawn was thrashing around in the bushes. Minghao looks up, shaken from his memories, and melts into Mingyu’s side when the taller boy wipes at the tears running down his cheeks. He hadn’t even noticed that he had been crying, as absorbed he was with trying to listen to the steady beating of Mingyu’s heart, to make sure it was still working, that Mingyu was still alive, that Mingyu wouldn’t leave him again like he did that night. To reassure himself that maybe he hadn’t messed up that badly.

“I’m sorry,” Minghao croaks, throat dry and wrecked from his emotions. The mechanic sniffs, raising his hands to wipe at his face, only to be stopped by Mingyu’s. The cyborg brings out a bunch of tissues from his pockets – Minghao doesn’t question why, after all, he carried his toolbelt everywhere he went as well – and began to wipe at Minghao’s face.

“You’ve still got oil on your hands,” Mingyu explains, gently swiping at the tears pooling in Minghao’s eyes. At this point, Minghao realizes that Mingyu is crying too, the two of them – idiots really – silently dripping with emotions.

“You’re crying too,” Minghao giggles a little, and the soft melodic sound makes Mingyu smile as well. Alternating between wiping at Minghao’s eyes and his own, Mingyu soon clears his throat as Minghao sniffles for the last time.

“Do you feel better now?” Mingyu asks gently, running his fingers along Minghao’s back to placate the other boy. Minghao nods, curling into Mingyu’s chest as he rests his head – like always – right on top of Mingyu’s heart. “It’s nice to get your feelings out sometimes, that’s what they taught us back at the station. After someone’s gone through something traumatic you’re supposed to stay with them and offer them emotional support.”

“I could have told you that,” Minghao rolls his eyes, weakly hitting Mingyu’s bicep.

“Yeah but you wouldn’t do it, you like talking to machines more than people after all,” Mingyu replies, causing Minghao to crinkle his nose – though the boy doesn’t correct him. “Anyways, I want you to know Minghao, even though I know nothing I say will ever change your mind about the matter that is my heart, that it’s okay. Sure, maybe things would have turned out differently if we hadn’t gone out that night, maybe if I hadn’t been so headstrong and ran after the noise it would have never happened – but the thing is, we can’t ever be sure. Whose to say things wouldn’t have turned out _worse_ if we didn’t do what we did? Did you ever think about that Hao?”

“Of course I have,” Minghao whispers, a little offended that Mingyu thought he was so simple minded as to not examine the scenario from both sides.

“Good,” Mingyu hums. “But here’s the main thing, my heart still works. My arms is still here, I didn’t need to cut it off, I still accomplished my dream to help others – _you’re_ still here, as am I. We can still sit and cuddle like this, even if my heart is a little different and you tend to always smell a little like engine grease.”

“Hey!” Minghao frowns, though he nods at Mingyu’s words. The boy tightens his hold on Mingyu’s shirt, pressing his face into the fabric and simultaneously breathing in Mingyu’s smell and listening to the steady and comforting beat of his heart.

“It’s okay, you make it work,” Mingyu grins. “So, don’t worry about the past Minghao. The future is much more fun after all.”

“I guess,” Minghao sighs. He still regrets, Minghao doesn’t think he’ll ever be able to fully let go of his doubts, but he does feel lighter. Almost weightless even, and Minghao decides that it’s going to have to count for something. “I better get started on fixing you then, I’ve wasted too much time with these disgusting mushy things called feelings – I need to fix your ear and your h-heart and then get back to work.” Mingyu nods, pointedly ignoring the way Minghao still stutters and looks away when they talk about his heart. He smiles however, when Minghao runs away to see if they have any anesthetic left, and knows that Minghao is trying his best – and that’s all that matters. Just as long as they were doing better than they were yesterday, Mingyu was happy.

**Author's Note:**

> This is based on ASMR Glow's futuristic role play series [thing](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mm6-oVEsvi4&t=470s) (which is _fantastic_ by the way).
> 
> I've honestly never been that into mecha type things (or science fiction in general) but this way pretty fun to write so maybe I'll look into it some more.
> 
> I managed to finish this time for Mingyu's birthday though! Honestly I was supposed to finish a different Gyuhao fic and post it for today but... it got a bit out of control and I'm not done yet. At least there's this haha. Happy birthday you giant puppy - even though technically it's already passed in Korea. Hey, it's April 6 where I am now okay, leave me alone.
> 
>   
> Hope you're smiling!  
> 
> 
>   
> ~ alateni  
> 


End file.
